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Star Wars Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance Review
Jedi Alliance is the handheld companion to the recent Clone Wars animated movie and TV series. Using the TV show as a motif, each of the levels is designed as a stand-alone episode. The overarching story that LucasArts weaves into each level/episode is free of the childish camp found in the movie, and ends up being an intriguing journey delving into one of Star Wars' most mysterious factions, the Nightsisters. DS titles are not generally known for their cinematic flair, yet Jedi Alliance's strongest element ends up being its storytelling, which is captured in beautiful animated sequences and extensive voicework.
While Jedi Alliance captures the essence of the show, it makes a mockery of the Force. You won't be asked to levitate a slice of fruit across the table or grab a tongue mid-air, the Force just doesn't work in this game. You may be trying to jam a lightsaber into the back of a Sith witch, but instead your character jumps into a pool of water. The touchscreen spot recognition is way off the mark. Every lightsaber battle, mini-game, and acrobatic maneuver usually devolves into the player madly mashing the stylus against the screen.
This nearly broken gameplay made me kick and scream with annoying fury of a teenage Anakin, but at the same time, this game's experience tickled the fancy of my inner Star Wars fan boy. I got a big kick out of playing as C-3PO, and LucasArts depicted the Nightsisters in an interesting way. If you sleep on Star Wars sheets, give it a try. If not, pretend it doesn't exist – just like the animated movie.
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